Tarpaulins are used for many purposes. In the construction industry, tarpaulins are used to protect partially completed constructions from weather, to enhance or protect placed but not yet fully cured concrete and other curable building materials, and are also used to preserve stockpiles of building materials (sand, aggregate, etc.) from the effects of weather. The simplest of these prior art tarpaulins comprise sheets of waterproof plastic (such as polyethylene) held in place by ropes, tapes, staples, etc.
More sophisticated tarpaulins comprise walls of polyethylene incapsulating a plastic foam or polyester fiber insulating layer. Even these more sophisticated tarpaulins have shortcomings and limitations. Specifically, the useful life of these tarpaulins is relatively short. Also, the insulating value of the polyester fiber or plastic foam layer is not great and degrades rapidly during ordinary use.